Sir Elton John has ‘new respect for sight-impaired people’
After contracting an infection that severely hit his vision, Sir Elton John has said he has a “new respect for sight-impaired people”.
Sir Elton John has a “new respect for sight-impaired people”.
The 77-year-old ‘Rocket Man’ singer has been suffering severely deteriorating vision after he recently contracted an eye infection that affected his vision, previously revealing the infection last summer impacted his ability to record music and left him feeling “stuck”.
He has now told The Guardian about the ordeal: “I’m an optimist permanently. I’ve got bad eyesight at the moment.
“There have been days where I’ve been miserable, but then I think about how lucky I am.
“I’ve got a new respect for sight-impaired people and people who are totally blind, some of whom I’m in touch with.
“But to hell with it, I’ve got a great life, and hopefully my sight will improve.”
He spoke out ahead of the release of his new album 'Who Believes In Angels?', a collaboration with U.S. singer Brandi Carlile, which is set for release in the spring.
Co-written by Sir Elton’s longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin and produced by Grammy winner Andrew Watt, it was recorded over 20 days in October 2023.
The project marks a departure for the singer-songwriter, who said he wanted to move beyond his past work.
He added: “I could do an ‘Elton John’ record easily. That’s what I didn’t want to do any more. I wanted a challenge. I wanted to put all my old stuff to bed.”
Reflecting on the recording process, Sir Elton admitted to feeling uneasy, saying: “It wasn’t me being anxious about other people, it was me being anxious about me.
“Once we got through the first three songs, we knew we had something. And I was much more relaxed… but I was a bit of a nightmare.”
In September, Sir Elton disclosed in a social media post a “severe eye infection” had left him “with only limited vision in one eye”.
He added: “I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery so far.”
